G.A. Ponsonby: How The BBC Stole The Referendum

How The BBC Stole The Referendum is a book currently being written by GA Ponsonby.  The book will chronicle the role played by the corporation in the independence referendum and its influence on the final vote. Below is a draft of the first chapter, which may be subject to minor changes.  It is published here with a view to attracting funding to help with publishing and promoting the book when it is complete.  The provisional completion date is April 2015 ... in time for the UK general election.

Chapter 1 - Turning Yes into No

     The 2014 independence referendum was an historic event.  The SNP landslide victory in May 2011 meant that for almost three years it captivated a nation, dominated the news agenda and influenced almost every aspect of Scottish and UK politics.  Ordinary people who had never before engaged in the democratic process discovered an unknown thirst for information.  The referendum seeped into the Scottish psyche and gave rebirth to real democracy.  A nation went through a political re-awakening.
     Our media should have reflected this inspirational period.  Newspapers should have thrived, broadcasters should have excelled and journalists should have become heroes.  But that didn't happen.  Instead agendas were pursued, news was manipulated and old allegiances maintained.
     At the helm of what I consider to be the media corruption that poisoned the independence debate was the BBC.  At the eleventh hour, when Yes appeared to be on course for victory, the broadcaster pulled out all the stops to prevent a Yes triumph.

Read full first chapter

HERE

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